Video: Mayor Mamdani Announces Opening of Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center.
Feb 9, 2026First ever rec center in Central Brooklyn and now borough’s largest rec center will serve over 41,000 New Yorkers.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the opening of the brand-new Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center in East Flatbush. He was joined by NYC Parks Commissioner Tricia Shimamura, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, State Senator Kevin Parker, Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, and Councilmember Farah Louis.
The new center is the first new Parks recreation center in over a decade, the first ever in Central Brooklyn, and the largest recreation center in the whole borough. Located in the heart of Little Haiti, the center is expected to serve residents of East Flatbush and Midwood, with over 41,000 New Yorkers living within a 15-minute walk or transit ride of the new center.
The approximately 74,000-square-foot recreation center provides space for swimming, team sports, exercise, educational programming, and even A/V production in a media lab. Like all Parks recreation centers, discounts are available for New Yorkers of all ages, and membership is entirely free for people 24 years and younger.
The center will fully open to the public on Tuesday, February 10. For the first week, all New Yorkers will have the opportunity to use the brand-new center for one free day of their choosing, prior to becoming members. Parks is also hosting guided tours, registration events, and demonstrations to help New Yorkers experience what the new facility has to offer.
Now Brooklyn’s largest recreation center, the Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center includes brand-new fitness resources for New Yorkers of all ages and backgrounds, including:
• Competition-sized 6 lane pool, including a ramp, chairlift, and stairs so all visitors can comfortably enter the water regardless of ability
• Three lane walking track
• Competition-sized gym perfect for basketball, pickleball, and volleyball
• Exercise rooms for cardio workouts, weightlifting, and spin classes The center also features spaces for events, classes, and relaxation, including:
• Teaching kitchen
• Afterschool space with its own outdoor play area
• Dedicated teens-only space with supervision
• Dr. Roy A. Hastick Sr. Media Lab with a mixing room for A/V production
• Multipurpose rooms for events and classes The new center is named for Shirley Chisholm, the Brooklyn-born politician who became the first African American woman to serve in Congress, representing Brooklyn in the House of Representatives from 1969 to 1983
Shirley Chislom Recreation Center 3002 Foster Avenue Brooklyn February 9, 2026